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Sloshed

by Mary Stella on August 7, 2013

When I say that I’m sloshed, I’m not using slang for being drunk. I’m sloshed as in, I’m pretty sure I’ve had enough water that I can hear it sloshing from side to side inside my stomach. My belly rises and falls several inches like the tide, controlled by the gravitational pull of the moon.

I realized, thanks to reading an email from a friend a while back, that I’ve slacked off in the amount of fluid I should drink each day. This could be part of the reason that my weight loss isn’t proceeding as quickly as I want and why other aspects of my system have also slowed. So, this week I’m focused on my hydration.

My caffeine kick in the morning comes from hot black tea. I drink it after whatever I consume for breakfast, which is usually a fruit smoothie or a protein shake. That means that I start off with the equivalent of about four cups of fluid in my stomach. Unfortunately, while I’m sure those things contribute to hydration, they aren’t the most hydrating substance. Let’s face it. The best, purest fluid for keeping our systems hydrated is plain, simple H20.

The trick is for me to get in enough water but to time it right so that I don’t fill up my stomach to the point where I can’t eat the nutritional foods I bring for my snacks and lunch. I practically need to set up a schedule. Barring that, I need to fall back on sip-sip-sipping so that I have a steady intake. This is not easy to do when I need both hands to work on my keyboard. I get caught up in work and can easily forget to drink, so I need to keep after myself to stay on track.

Would you ever have imagined that it could be a challenge to get in the right amount of water on a daily basis? To help, I’m at least doing my best to track my intake in the myfitnesspal app on my phone. While I don’t always hit my goal, keeping track lets me know if I’m close. To be honest, I’d like to get to the point where I consistently take in 80 ounces of water a day. However, I’m happy right now if I get to 64 ounces of water plus a couple of cups of tea, either hot or iced.

I know that I do better when I keep my drinking glass full at my desk. While writing this I realized that I should have filled up a glass and kept it with me here by the computer. There’s definitely room for improvement.

Even so, three days into this more focused hydration effort, I see some progress. I also feel better. Let’s see if a sustained effort leads to even more improved results.

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2 responses to “Sloshed”

That’s one habit I developed years ago: drinking lots of water. Even before I moved to Houston I drank lots of water. Since Houston, I always have a bottle of water with me (I’ve now got one of those CamelBak bottles), even if I’m just going to the store. And on the occasion when I don’t get enough to drink, well I can definitely tell because I just don’t feel right.

Glad you are seeing results. That makes it so much easier to maintain.